Radiator



G. L WILKMAN.

RADIATOR. I APPLICATION fILI-:n Nov. Io. Isls.

Pand oen 26,1920..

II {@I@ I I III s' GIN@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J, WILKMAN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon To IDEAL SHEET METAL i woaxs, A CORPORATION OE ILLINOIS.

RADIATOR` vSpecification of Letters' Patent.

Patented Oct. 26,1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. WILKMAN,v

a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements inRadiators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a partI of this specificatlon.

. This invention relates to improvements '1n radiators in which heat is interchanged from a medium of'one temperature flowing in definite passages in the radlator to .a medium of another temperature flowlng In other definite passages therein andseparated from the rst named passages by than walls. Theinvention is herein shown as embodied in an automobile radiator through which the cooling water of the engine.' 1s passed to bring it into heat interchangerelation with air passed through the radiator.

The invention relates more specifically to,

a novel construction of so called honey-comb core for such radiators and the punpose of the invention is to simplifythe oore construction; to provide a maximum area of air and Water passages in a radiator of iven dimensions; -to reduce ythe wei ht an the cost of the radiatoras compare to its cooling efcienc ;,to reduce to a minimum the area of dou le thickness walls between the air and water passages; to provide a construction which 'is simple to manufacture and which does not place unusual or objectionable bending or tensile strains on the metal in forming the core elements; to reliably brace the core construction throughout its length by means whch'do not restrict the area of air and water passa es and to thereby produce a rigid and stur y radiator core and to otherwise simplify and improve radiator constructions;

The invention consists in the arrangements and combination of the arts lshown in the drawings and described 1n the speciicationand the invention is pointed out in' the apI ended claims.

In e drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of one of the ele' ments from. which the radiator core is made.

FigmZis an-end elevation of a fragment of radiator embodying my invention.

Flg. 3' is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Figli. F F 4' is a cross section on the line 4 4 of ig. 5 is a broken perspective view of a fragment of the radiator core.

The radiator core is composed of a plurality of like elements, .each consisting ofl two sheet metal corrugated walls Ior units so associated as to form between them air passages, and so assembled relatively to each other as, to form'between the separate elements defined water passages which are separated from the air passages'by thethin sheet metal walls of the elements( Each element of the radiator may be made of two corrugated sheet metal plates of a material possessing good heat conductivity, as brass or copper, suitably joined at their upper and lower edges to complete the element and to formair vpassa es therein, lor each element may be made o a single corrugated f ysheet metal plate 10 (Fig. 1) which is folded at its free ed es in the manner suggested,a

plain strip o sheet metal of a width substantially equal to the thickness of the radiator body from front to rear, and therefore equal to the length of the air passages throughthe radiator, is passed through a corrugating machine or is formed by corrugating dies so as to produce alternate elevated and depressed sections 12, 11, respectively, joined by Oblique sections 14 to avoid sharp bends between the elevated and depressed sections and also to avoid sharp corners to trap sediment contained in the cooling water. lThe said elevated sections 12 at the margins of the sheet 10 are oil set Outwardly at 15 beyond the plane of the outer faces of said sections, the off set portions be- Aing joined to the planes of the elevated secend margins 11a of which are not offset relatively to the planes of said depressed sections, are formed to provide along their lengths a plurality of hollow protuberances 17 which extend inwardly from the inner faces of said sections, each of said sections being herein shown as provided with three of such protuberances, one at each end and the other at the longitudinal center thereof. The said protuberances may be formed in the corrugating operation or may be formed,in a separate operation.

After the plates have been formed in the manner described, and as shown in Fig. 1, they are folded uponthemselves to pro uce the elements A, B, of the core" and their free ends are locked together by any suitable form of interlocking seam 18, or otherwise joined to produce airtight joints. The elements A, B are identical in structure but are edgewise reversed when assembled in thev core so that the elements B are raised above the elements A to bring the horizontal air passages 20, which are formed between the elevated sections 12, laterally out of line or staggered with respect to each other in the assembled core, as shown Figs. 2 and 3.

In the construction shown the elements B are arranged with their interlocked edges 18 at the top of the core while the interlocked edges of the elements A are at the bottom of the core. When the sheets are folded to form the elements A, B, the protuberances 17 at the ends and at the centers of the members meet in abutting relation to form between the air passages 20 vertical connecting passages 21. The said vertical passages 21 are normally filled with moving air which adds additional surface against which the air impinges at one side of each wall and also adds additional cooling surface for the water in the water passage at the other side of said wall.

The said elements are assembled with the elevated plane sections 12 of each element opposite to the depressed plane sections 11 of adjacent elements, as bestshown in Figs. 3 and 5, thus disposing adjacent horizontal rows of air passages 2O out of line with each other. The off set and margins 15 of the elevated sections 12 at the edges of the ele ments fit flat against the plain end margins 11 of the depressed sections at the corresponding edges of the elements, when the elements are so assembled, to close the spaces between said elements at the ends of the core, as best. shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and said off set end margins 15 serve to space the elements apart between the front and rear edges of the elements to form generally upright,` tortuous water passages 22 between the adjacent elements. The arrows in Fig. 3 indicate the courses of the water passages between the elements. The water passages thereby of the core are open at the upper side of the core to the water space of the radiator above the same and are open at the lower side of the core to the water space o f the radiator below the core. After the elements have been assembled, with their margins 15 and 11a and the protuberances 17 in contact, the core is dipped in solder ,to the depth of the ofset portions 15 and the end abutting protuberance 17, whereby the sheets are firmly secured together and the water passages are sealed at the front and rear faces of the core.

By reason of the construction described wherein the offset margins 15 of the portions 12 are brought fiatwise in contact' with the end margins 11a of the portions 11 of the wall elements, and of the fact that the flatended protuberances are likewise brought 'latwise in contact with each other, it becomes practicable to solder the parts to gether with a minimum amount of soldering material, the only solder required being the thin films which are present between the flat contacting faces of the parts. Hence weight, due to solder, is reduced to a minimum.

It will be furthermore observed, by reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, that the water passages 22 which are formed between the assembled elements, are produced by simple offsets 15 of the elevated portions 12; it being practicable to offset lthe ends of said portions 12 to produce ample water passages without imposing sharp bending stresses on the offset portions. It will be furthermore observed by reference to` said Figs. 4 and 5 that the vertical air passages or spaces 21 between the horizontal passages 20 may also be made of ample size without imposing objectionable stress on the metal; said passages or spaces 21 being due to the abutment of the protuberances 17 between the portions 11 which define or bound said passages 21. In this connection it will also be observed by reference to said Figs. 4 and 5, and also to Fig. 2, that the said passages 21 continue to the front and rear sides of the radiator, thus increasing the facility with which air may pass into said flues or passages from the front thereof, both directly rearwardly and upwardly and downwardly from points of ingress of air.

It will, moreover, be observed that the spacing protuberances 17 for the air passages 21 (which also serve to measurably modify thewidth of the main air passages 20) are independent in their spacing functions of the spacing offsets 15 to produce the water channels or passages 22, so that thereby the capacities of the air and water passages may be proportioned to suit different requirements without restriction of other sets of passages. Furthermore, the construction is such that a predetermined ample water capacity may be provided in a given width of core and ample air passages are attainable for efiicient radiation.

The mounting of the core in the radiator frame is not herein shown, it being understood that the connection of the core' in the 4frame and the communication of the water passages of the core with the upper .and lower water space of the radiator may follow any usual or preferred practice.

An advantage of the construction described, which may be pointed out, is that the provision of the hollow protuberances 17 on the inner faces ,of the depressed sections of the elements form `intercommunicating passages 21 of ample dimensions between and connecting the vertical row of horizontal airpassages 20 of each element, while at the same time there is effected, by reason of the abutting contact of said protuberances and the abutting of the olf set portions 15 against adjacent elements, rigid co-acting bracing effect between the elements to produce a sturdy core construction. Said protuberances, while having ample dimensions for this abutting bearing engagement, do not materially restrict the intercommunicating air passages 21, said protuberances being made considerably narrower than the sections of the elements on which they are formed.

Another advantage of the protuberances to be noted is that amply dimensioned interconnecting air passages 21 between the main air passages 20 are provided without robbing the capacity of the water spaces between the core elements. In fact the provision of said hollow protuberances, which are in open communication with said water passages, adds to the dimension of the water passages and further adds to the area of the wall surface of the air passages, due to the hollow walls of the protuberances which are exposed to the air in the interconnecting air passages 21.

A further advantage of the construction to be noted is that amply dimensioned water and air passages are provided in a core employing a relatively small amount of metal in its construction, withthe result that the weight of the core and the costof its production are -materially reduced.

The construction is simple to manufacture and assemble yand the contour ofthe elements is such that the metal'is not subjected to objectionable tensile or bending strains in the corrugating and protuberance forming machines. l

An important practical advantage of the construction described is that all of the elements of a core construction are duplicates and can be made by-a single die or a single pair of corrugating'rollers in a corrugating machine. In fact, a strip of metal o suitablev width and indefinite length may be run through a corrugating machine having a single set of corrugating rollers, and sections of proper lengths cut from the corrugated strip to form the elements of the radiator. Therefore the machine for forming the elements is a simple machine and also its operation is simple and economical.

It will be understood that the invention is capable of embodiment in structures differing somewhat in detail from that illustrated in the drawings and that said invention is not therefore to be limited'to the structural details shown except as to claims wherein said ldetails are specifically enumerated. For instance, there may be employed more or a less number of the protuberances or buttons 17 and so far as certain features of the invention are concerned,` they may be otherwise formed without sacrificing the spacing functions.

I claim as my invention:

1. A radiator comprising a plurality of pairs of spaced sheet metal walls between which are formed vertical Water channels, said walls being corrugated to produce like shaped and dimensioned structures of ele, vated and 'depressed formation, with the elevations of each wall in register with the depressions of the other wall, each of said walls being provided with a plurality of exterior protuberances struck from the metal thereof and adapted to abut the protuberances of an adjacent wall of another pair to thereby form vertical air' passages between adjacent pairs of walls, said passages being openat the front and rear of the radiator, the elevations and depressions of the walls of one pair being respectively disposed opposite to the elevations and depressions of the walls of another pair to form horizontal air passages therebetween and in communication with Said vertical air passa es.

2. radiator core section comprising a series of like shaped and dimensioned elevments, each composed of two sheet metal said elevated sections fitting against the ends Y of the depressed sections of adjacent elements to space the elements apart to form vertical water passages between said elements, said depressed sections being provided with abutting protuberances which space them to form vertical air passa es which communicate with the horizonte air passages'. y v

3. A radiator core construction of that kind having fluid passages therein transversely disposed and separated by thin conducting. walls, comprising a plurality of pairs of sheet metal walls corrugated to form alternate like shaped and dimensioned elevated and depressed sections, with the elevated sections of each pair registered to form main passages, and with thedepressed sections of each pair also registered and provided with proturberances which abut to space said depressed sections to form there# between communicating passages between the main passages, said elements being'nested with the elevated sections of' each element in registry with the depressed sections of adjacent elements, and with the end marginal portions of `one element offset toward and lying against the plain marginal portions of the other element to form between the nested elements fluid passages transverse to said main and communicating passages.

4. A radiator core comprising like shaped and dimensioned hollow elements, the walls of each of which are shaped to provide alternate horizontal main airl passages and vertical intercommunicating air passages open at the front and rear of the radiator, with abutting spacing proturberances 'in said vertical passages, said elements being sidewise nested, with the main air passages of each element opposite to the vertical communicating passages of the adjacent elements, and with the end 'margins-of the walls bounding the main air passages .Sil

o'set toward and lying against and soldered mensions and contour, and' each composed of two' opposed sheet metal walls which are corrugated to form alternate elevated and depressed sections, the elevated sections being registered to formA between them through horizontal air passages, and the depressed sections being likewiseregistered and provided with hollow proturberances struck up therefrom which abut endwise and space the latter sections from end to end thereof to form between said through passages communicating passages that are open at the front and rear offthe core, the end margins of said elevated sections, being ollset ltoward and lying against the end margins of the depressed sections beyond said protuberances to space adjacent elements to provide therebetween vertical water pasn witness whereof I claim the oregoing as my invention, I hereunto append vmy signature in the presence of two witnesses at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of November, 1916.

Witnesses A. R. SEMPLE, W. L. HALL. 

